Cast-metal wheel



L. MELANOWSKI CAST METAL WHEEL May 8, 1923.

Filed April 22 1920 Patented May 8, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEO MELANOWSKI, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO `WARREN H.

Y COWDERY AND ONE-THIRD T0 GEORGE B. DURELL, BOTH OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CAST-METAL WHEEL.

Be it known that I. Lno MELANowsnI, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clevelandin the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cast-Metal llheels, ofwhich the following is a. full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates generally towhecls and more articularly to a castmetal wheel intended or use in connection with motor vehicles of everydescription.

One object of the invention is to provide a cast metal wheel which shallbe exceedingly light and at the same time possess great strength capableof carrying heavy loads and withstanding lateral strains and stresses.Another object ot' the invention is to provide a cast metal wheel ofsuch a character that cores can be dispensed with and metal moldsemployed if desired and a still further object is to provide a castmetal wheel in which aluminum, malleable iron or other suitable metalmay be employed as a casting material; and a still further object is toprovide a wheel of such a nature that crystallization shrinkages will becorrected or avoided during the casting operation.

Vith these various objects in view, the invention consists in thedetails of construction hereinafter `fully described and set torth inthe appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this spec-ilication, Fig. 1 is a faceview ot a cast metal wheel embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectionalview taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof a portion of the wheel. Fig. 4.- is a detail sectional view showing aslight modification.

In making a wheel in accordance with my invention, I provide a hub, aperiphery or lixed rim and a connecting web all integral and preferablycast from a suitable alloy ot aluminum although it will be understoodthat malleable iron or any other suitable metal may be employed and inpractice I prefer to make the telly or fixed rim as thin and light aspossible consistent with good molding practice and having due regard forthe loads the wheels are intended to carry and the lateral stresses andstrains to which they will be subjected. The periphery or fixed rim 10is preferably shaped to receive a tire directly thereon and is therefore:formed with a tire retaining flange 11 at the inner side and acircumferential groove 12 at the outer side which groove is adapted toreceive the usual construction of detachable tire retaining ring (notshown). The intervening space constitutes the rim base upon which thetire rests.

i In case it is desired to use a. demountable tire carrying rim upon myimproved construction of cast metal wheel, the periphery 10 will beshaped substantiallythe same as the usual commercial felly band now inuse and any suitable form of securing means may be employed to connectthe demountable tire carrying rim to the wheel body asf shown in Fig. 4.

The hub is made as light as possible and with this object in viewpreferably composed of an outer ring 13, an inner ring 14, and a.plurality of radial connecting ribs 15; and where the ribs 15 meet theouter ring 13, I may provide bosses or enlargements 16 which are boredto receive bolts for connecting the hub flanges and brake drums to thecast metal hub.

The hub and periphery or fixed rim are connected by an integral web 17which may be described as being partly flat and partly corrugated orfluted, that portion of the web adjacent the hub being flat as shown at17 while the portion adjacent the periphery or fixed rim is corrugatedor iluted as shown at 17b the corrugations or ilutes being along radiallines and it will be noted that one angle or apex is upon the inner side,of the wheel while the next one is upon the outer side of the wheel, orin other words, said angles or apices are arranged alternately. Inpractice I prefer. to have the flat portion of the web united with thehub approximately midway its length but it will be understood that itmay be united with the hub at some other point if found desirable.

The web as a whole may be of uniform thickness throughout or it may bemade thick at the hub and graduallydiminishing towards the periphery. Inpractice the periphery is made slightly wider than the corrugatedportion ofthe web and also wider than the hub in order to provide aproper width of rim base for the tire without materially adding to theweight of the wheel body as a whole. By making the wheel as herein shownand described I provide an exceedingly strong and durable cast metalWheel and et the saine time maintain the weight` thereof at the lowestossible point.

Furthermore, the peculiar formation of the web tends to clear. itself ofinud and.

dirt `to i a remarkable degree.

Having thus described iny invention, what I claim is 1 i l, A cast metalautomobile Wheel coniprising a hub portion, a peripheral tire carryingportioniivnd :i connecting web portion, a portion ot said web being Hetand e poi tion of saidii'vebbeing corrugated or tinted sz11dl`iiib,weband periphery beinglintegml.

2." A cust meta/l automobile Wheel comprisinge liiibport'ioii,y e`per'iplieriiltire carrying portion and a connecting Web portion, theinner portion olifseid web beingi'lzit end the outer portion of sind webbeing' corrugated or uted. V

3,. A. castnnietel Wheel for automobiles comprising, a. hub portion, eperipheral tire carryingwportion and e lweb portion, the

outer portion of said web being corrugated along` radial lines, theinner portion being flat.

4; A cast metal Wheel for automobiles comprising :n hub portion, :iperipheral. tire receii'finrg` portion i and i e' connecting webportion, the outer port-.ion of said web being i corrugated upon radiallines, the inner por-` seidAveb being` Het and the outer portion of,

seid web being corrugated along radial lines. p

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aix my signature.

LEO MELANOVVSKI;

